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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · stem · ground · bulb · chair · sharp · club · stock

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stem — to come from
  4. root — the cause
  5. club — for golf
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. root — of a word
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. root — of a plant
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — shares
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stock — goods
  23. club — a group
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com